Footwear

ABSTRACT

Footwear such as shoes, boots, etc. having a welt at its lower margin to which a prepared sole, usually of sheet stock, is fastened having a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured in situ along the inner perimeter of the welt so as to provide a stepless transition inside of the shoe from the upper to the sole. Such shoes having soles of soft material, such as microcellular elastomer, and also a stabilizing insert and the ribbon of elastomer is molded to secure the insert in its desired location to provide the stepless transition from the inside of the upper to the sole.

United States Patent inventor Curt E. Kaufman Waynesville, N.C. Appl. No. 846,019 Filed July 30, 1969 Patented May 11, 1971 Assignee Ro-Search, Incorporated Waynesville, N.C. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 794,333, Jan. 27, 1969, which is a division of application Ser. No. 521,247, Jan. 14, 1966.

FOOTWEAR 3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl l2/2.5, 12/ 1 42 Int. Cl A43b 00/00, A43d 9/00 Field of Search 36/2.5, 14, 17; 12/142 Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney-Dos T. Hatfield ABSTRACT: Footwear such as shoes, boots, etc. having a welt at its lower margin to which a prepared sole, usually of sheet stock, is fastened having a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured in situ along the inner perimeter of the welt so as to provide a stepless transition inside of the shoe from the upper to the sole. Such shoes having soles of soft material, such as microcellular elastomer, and also a stabilizing insert and the ribbon of elastomer is molded to secure the insert in its desired location to provide the stepless transition from the inside of the upper to the sole.

FOOTWEAR This application is a continuation-in-part of my pending application, Ser. No. 794,333 filed Jan. 27, 1969 as a divisional application of Ser. No. 52 I ,247 filed Jan. 14, I966.

The invention refers to footwear such as shoes with an upper of leather or similar material and a prepared sole, usually of sheet stock, secured thereto.

According to the invention, such shoes are improved by providing a stepless transition between the inside of the upper and the sole by'means of a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured in situ, providing thereby at the same time, additional fastening of the upper to the sole. 7

Other'features of the invention are clarified hereafter in connection with the drawing, which shows in FIG. 1 a cross section of a shoe according to one execution of the invention, still in a sole-laying device after completion of the sole-laying and before removal of the finished shoe from said device. FIG. 2 shows in a larger scale a cross section through the toe and FIG. 3 a cross section through the heel of such shoe. FIG. 4 shows a view partially in section of still another execution of the invention.

In the manufacture of a shoe according to the example shown in FIG. 1, the upper l is prepared by stitching together pieces of leather and at the bottom margin 2 of the upper a welt 3 is fastened by a stitching 4. The welt in this example consists of microporous rubber with small, closed cells. The so prepared upper is placed on the last 2I of a sole-laying device and tightened thereon by means of threads or clamps. Thereafter the side frame 5 is placed surrounding the welt 3 and closed. Then the clamps are removed or the threads cut to release the tension of the upper l at least partially to move the welt outwardly into tight engagement with the sidewalls of the frame 5. A previously prepared sole 11 is placed into the cavity of the bottom plate 12 after heat-setting cement is applied to the bottom surface of the welt 9 and the corresponding surface of the sole, and a ribbon 19 of moldable elastomer such as uncured rubber is placed against the inner perimeter 24 of the welt 3. The upper on the last is thereafter pressed against the sole in the bottom plate by means of the closing lever 15 acting on the lever 14 which carries the last 21 as well as the push rods 6 adjustable by means of the threaded parts 7 and the lock nuts 8. The upright I3 secures the lever 14 hingably to the baseplate 12. The baseplate l2 and the last 21 are, as usual for such devices, heated so as to obtain the setting of the cement. According to the invention, the ribbon 19 of elastomeric material such as uncured rubber is molded and cured under the forementioned heat and pressure to fill the spaces between the last, the sole and the edge of the margin of the upper to form a stepless transition between upper and sole, as well as providing an additional bond between upper and sole. The customary lasting insole can be eliminated, which renders the shoe lighter and more flexible. The stepless transition from upper to sole renders the shoe more agreeable to the foot of the wearer.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, inclusive, a layer 29 might be placed between the last 21 and the sole ll, inside of the perimeter of the welt 3. If the welt 3 and the sole 11 are, as I prefer, of the same microporous elastomenthe ribbon 19 of elastomer moldedand cured in situ will also secure the layer 29 in its position. This layer 29 is'customarily of a soft cushion type. If the sole 11 is itself of relatively soft material, I provide contrary to the custom, a relatively rigid insert 23 which stabilizes the foot of the wearer in the shoe. As example, if the sole II is microporous, soft rubber, the layer 23 is ablank cut from sheet stock of regenerated rubber filled with fiber.

If desired, the shoe might be provided, in addition to the sole 11, with a tread sole 20, as shown in FIG. 3.

After removal of the shoe from the sole-laying device the side 16 of the sole might be trimmed to a desired contour 18, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 2, or the sidewall of the side frame 5 might be profiled so as to impress the corresponding pattern upon the side of the sole as shown in FIG. 2 at 22.

The stabilizing insert 23 is selected to be stiff enough to eliminate the transmission of the local tpressure caused by stepping on a single pebble to the foot 0 the wearer, and to prevent the side slipping of the foot.

I claim:

1. Footwear comprising an upper, a sole of sheet stock secured to said upper, an insert positioned above the inner portion of said sole, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured to the inner perimeter of the bottom margin of said upper and said insert for a stepless transition from the upper to the sole inside of said footwear.

2. Footwear comprising an upper, a welt of porous closed cell rubber stitched to the bottom margin of said upper, a sole of porous closed cell rubber preferably identical with they material of said welt, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cared to the inner perimeter of said margin of the upper and of said welt for a stepless transition inside of said footwear from said upper to said sole.

3. Footwear comprising an upper and a sole of porous rubber sheet stock, a stabilizing nonporous insert located inwardly from a welt stitched to said upper, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured to and between said upper and welt and said insert for a stepless transition from said upper to said insert inside of said footwear. 

1. Footwear comprising an upper, a sole of sheet stock secured to said upper, an insert positioned above the inner portion of said sole, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured to the inner perimeter of the bottom margin of said upper and said insert for a stepless transition from the upper to the sole inside of said footwear.
 2. Footwear comprising an upper, a welt of porous closed cell rubber stitched to the bottom margin of said upper, a sole of porous closed cell rubber preferably identical with the material of said welt, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured to the inner perimeter of said margin of the upper and of said welt for a stepless transition inside of said footwear from said upper to said sole.
 3. Footwear comprising an upper and a sole of porous rubber sheet stock, a stabilizing nonporous insert located inwardly from a welt stitched to said upper, and a ribbon of elastomeric material molded and cured to and between said upper and welt and said insert for a stepless transition from said upper to said insert inside of said footwear. 